Games & Washington

Washington state bans sale of violent video games
on CNN Money has news that the state of Washington is on the verge of
explicitly outlawing the sale of violent computer and video games to anyone under
the age of 17, as a bill to this effect has passed the senate, and is expected
to be signed into law by Governor Gary Locke (D). Rather than being broadly
aimed though, the bill "specifically mentions those that depict violence
against law enforcement officials," with the article suggesting that Grand
Theft Auto Vice City was a specific catalyst for this measure. The article
offers quotes from both sides of this issue, and touches upon the question of
interpretation that's being raised by those who feel the law's wording might be
too vague. The article offers handy updates on other related legislation:

In Washington, D.C., Sen. Joe Baca, D.-Calif., has resurrected his
"Protect Children from Video Game Sex and Violence Act" for the second
year. The
bill would make it a federal crime to sell or rent "adult video
games" to minors – with proposed fines of $5,000 or more. Re-introduced
to the House on Feb. 11, the bill is currently in the Subcommittee on Crime,
Terrorism, and Homeland Security. The 2002 bill of the same name died in that
committee.

At the same time, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D.-Conn., who has been a long-time
critic of the video game industry, plans to introduce legislation to fund a
study on how exposure to different types of media affects players. When
proposing the legislation at a research symposium, the presidential candidate
made sure to single out video games.

Meanwhile, the gaming industry is currently awaiting a ruling from the U.S. 8th
Circuit Court of Appeals on its attempt to overturn a St. Louis law, which bans
the sale of violent video games to minors. A lower court upheld
those restrictions a year ago.